Stamp 0 Ireland

Elderly Dependent Relative

Ireland Stamp 0 permission may be granted to non-EEA nationals who are the elderly dependent parents of Irish citizens or individuals who are residing in the State pursuant to a lawful immigration permission such as Stamp 1, 4 or 5.

To qualify from Stamp 0 permission as a dependent parent, the individuals must be able to prove that they are supported financially by their Irish citizen/Irish resident sponsor, and there must be evidence of this social dependency between parties.

The individual sponsoring the dependent must be able to prove that they have earned a net income of at least €60,000 in the case of one parent and €75,000 in the case of two parents in each of the three years preceding the application.

In an instance where the elderly parent themselves has a guaranteed income arriving in the future such as a pension or savings, this may be taken into consideration by the Department of Justice and Equality when assessing their application.

Applications for the Stamp 0 from elderly dependent parents who are non-visa required citizens, are generally required to be made from outside of the State. There have been instances of processing on some occasions from inside of the State, but this will depend upon the circumstances of each application.

Person of Independent Means

People of independent means may also be eligible to receive the Stamp 0. These people must be on an individual income of at least €50,000 per year.

These applicants must have access to a lump sum of money in order to cover any sudden major expenses that may come up. This lump sum must be equal to, for example, the price of a dwelling in the State.

The financial documentation provided should be presented in a spreadsheet format and will be converted into Euros. This should clearly show all income and spendings each month.

The financial documents provided will need to be certified by an Irish accountancy firm that can understand the format of overseas banking/accountancy documentation.

Visiting Academic

Academics applying for the Stamp 0 have to be visiting an Irish university. They will need to be paid from outside of Ireland and can’t work in Ireland for any more than 12 months.

As well as retirees, dependents of non-EEA citizens and academic visitors, you may also be eligible for this visa stamp if you are looking to extend a short-term visit due to exceptional humanitarian circumstances.

You may also be eligible if you want to work for an overseas company to do a task for a short period of time.

The first three categories are the most common recipients of the Stamp 0 visa in Ireland. There are additional stamp 0 requirements for all eligible applicants.

Self-funded Applicants

If you are applying for Stamp 0 permission as an applicant of independent means, you must provide evidence that you have access to:

• €50,000 per person per annum
• A lump sum of money to cover unforeseen major expenses. This amount should be equivalent to the price of buying property in Ireland, approximately equivalent to €100,000

Financial documents that you should provide include:

• Evidence of any finances readily available to you such as 6 months of bank statements and pension or savings statements.

Your evidence must be verified by an Irish-based accountant.

Visiting Academics

If you applying for Stamp 0 permission as a visiting academic, you must provide the following financial evidence:

• Evidence of finances readily available to you such as bank statements for the last 6 months and payslips.

Elderly Dependent Relatives

If you wish to apply for Stamp 0 permission as an elderly dependent relative, you must provide evidence that your relative sponsor and their spouse or partner have earned the following income after tax and deductions for 3 years prior to your application:

• €60,000 for one parent or
• €75,000 for two parents

You should also include evidence of:

• Your own guaranteed future income such as a pension or savings. This may be used to offset the sponsor’s above earnings
• Other financial resources you or your sponsor may have

Financial documents you should provide include, but are not limited to:

• A letter from your sponsor’s employer confirming employment and salary
• Employment summary showing revenue for the past 3 years
• Your sponsor’s last 6 payslips
• Evidence of other finances available to you such as bank statements from the past 6 months, pension and savings statements.

Elderly Dependent Relative

The documents that an elderly dependent relative will need includes:

• A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
• A copy of their birth certificate
• Evidence of their relationship to their sponsor, which may include the sponsor’s birth certificate showing the dependent as a parent
• Details of other family members in Ireland, which must include their legal status
• Proof of available funds of the applicant has, which may be shown by bank statements
• Evidence that the sponsor meets the financial requirements of €60,000 or €75,000
• Details of the accommodation they will reside in
• Proof of full private medical insurance
• Details of the applicants intentions in Ireland.

Person of Independent Means

The documents that a person of independent means will need includes:

• A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
• A copy of their birth certificate
• A copy of a marriage certificate or the equivalent, such as proof of a civil partnership
• Details of any other family members currently residing in Ireland, with their immigration status
• Proof of available funds of the applicant has, which may be shown by bank statements
• Legitimate financial documents, approved by an Irish-based accounting firm
• A declaration of health
• A police clearance certificate
• Proof of full private medical insurance
• Details of the reasons for requesting permission to remain in the State

Visiting Academic

The documents that a visiting academic will need includes:

• A copy of all of the pages of their passport, which must be valid
• Details of the reasons for their request to remain in Ireland
• Details of any other family members currently in Ireland, with their legal status included
• Proof of all available funds of the application, which can be shown by bank statements
• A letter from the Irish university which the applicant will be working at, to confirm that they will be working within the university for a set period no longer than 12 months
• A letter from the university in their home country which confirms their position within this institution and confirmation that the home university will be paying them while they work in Ireland
• Proof of full coverage, private medical insurance
• A police clearance certificate

Overview

You may apply for the Stamp 0 permission from within Ireland or from outside the State.

If you are a citizen of a country with no visa requirement, you may submit your application while in Ireland or from outside of the country. Elderly dependent relatives will have to submit an application for family reunification. The family reunification applications can only be made from outside of the state regardless of whether they are a visa required person or not.

Those from visa-required countries who are applying for the Stamp 0 will need to submit their application from outside of the country. If you are in Ireland on a visitor visa, the Visa Waiver Programme or the British Irish Visa Scheme, you will need to leave the State before applying for the Stamp 0 permission.

There are generally two to three steps in total that must be completed if you want to obtain a Stamp 0.

Apply for Immigration Preclearance

The first thing you will need to do when applying for Stamp 0 permission is to get immigration preclearance, or permission to travel to Ireland, with a letter and the required documentation.

Upon success of this step you will then receive a Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division.

Apply for a Visa

After this you will need to apply for a visa. One of the Long Stay D visas is relevant here. Elderly relatives will be able to apply under the Family visa category, and other applicants can apply under other appropriate Long Stay visas. You must include your Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer as part of your application.

If you are successful in your application for the visa, the Irish Immigration Service will grant you a letter of permission. This, with the Letter of Offer will be presented on the condition that you pass all of the visa checks and satisfy any other requirements from a border Immigration Officer.

When travelling to Ireland you will need to present all of these documents to the border Immigration Officer. They will then review these documents and permissions, if they are satisfied with these you will then be permitted to enter the country.

Apply for Permission to Remain

In Ireland, you have to register at your local immigration office to receive permission to remain. Both visa and non-visa required nationals will be required to register.

Your permission to remain will usually be granted for a year, and may be renewed each year if you continue to meet the criteria.

Applicants will need to register at the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Dublin, or at a local visa office in order to get their Irish Residence Permit.

For more information regarding the process of applying for a Stamp 0, call the IAS on +353 061 518 025, or contact us online.

You are considered to be a dependent if:

• You are financially supported by your sponsor on a continuous basis; and
• There is evidence of social dependence between your sponsor and yourself

The degree of dependency must be such that if the above support is not maintained, your ability to live independently in your home country would be impossible. You should exhaust all options before considering travelling to Ireland for family reunification.

This dependency must be pre-existing and sustained before you make your application and while you live in your home country.

Evidence of your dependency you should provide with your application includes:

• Details of other family members, particularly in your home country, who could or could not provide alternative support
• Evidence to show alternative support such as homecare is not sustainable or viable
• Bank statements which show you do not have the financial means to live independently without the support of your sponsor. This should show the amount, frequency and duration of the support received
• Information about your physical capability of living independently
• Details of your financial responsibilities and how you currently manage these
• Information about any medical conditions and if your sponsor helps in the management of this including correspondence, visits etc.
• If relevant, evidence to show why you are unable to work or why you are not eligible for state benefits in your home country.